Improved process for mixing air and steam for actuating engines



I .MT. STORM. CLOUD GENERATING APPARATUS FOR MOTIVE POWER.

No. 9,654. Patented Apr. 5, 1858.

NiTED STATES ATENT Fries.

WILLIAM MT. S'IORM, OF NElV YORK, N. Y.

lMPROVED PROCESS FOR MIXING AIR AND STEAM FOR ACTUATING ENGlNES.

To all whom it may concern/.-

Be it known that I, \VILLIAM MT. STORM, of the city of New York, in the eountyand State of New York, have invented a new and useful method of forming for use asa motive agent a mixture of air and steam or of any vapor and any gas constitutingabody substantially corresponding in composition, &c., to ordinary clouds; and I shall therefore in this specification, when referring to an already-admixed body of air and steam, for brevity use the term cloud to designate such mixture.

This motive agent is the same as that employed in the hydro-atnu)spheric method of actuating engines heretofore patented to me; but the process or method of forming it is different, my present invention consisting in effecting the admixtu re of the ai r and steam in the steam-generating vessel itself. The water, however, from which such steam is to be formed I prefer to admix with the air by a plan, hereinafter described, prior to the advent of the latter to the steam-generator in such manner that the relative proportions of such air and steam may be varied entirely, irrespective of combustion, in contradist-inction to such plans as De Rosens or Benncttsfor instance, of forcing the hot products of combustion from a closed furnace throughor among the water of the steam-generatorthe obj eet in such plans having been to save and apply the whole heat of combustion to generate steam, and also the gases, usually allowed to escape, to aid as the equivalent of so much steam, and in which methods, irrespective of the evil among others, of ash and cinder dust carried into the steam-generator with the draft, the steam generated will be in the main in proportion to the combustion, and this too greatly influenced by and propertioned to the air supplied to the furnace. Consequently the amount of air employed cannot be conveniently increased or d11ninished without the tendency to produce a corresponding increase or diminution ot the steam,and vice versa', and, further, the air, or rather gaseous products of combustion, is previous to and at the time of admixture of a temperature much higher than that of the intercommixin g steam under the condition existing in such cases as those referred to; and whereas, in the first instance, to use steam to Full advantage iucombination with air on the hydro-atmospheric principle, the former must bear a controllable proportion to the latter, because if acertain proportion is exceeded the steam in excess will only do duty as free steam, or as if employed separately and alone uua-dmixed with the air; and, secondly, both theory and experimentgo to prove that it is productive of more tension and a better general result, by and large, to have the air at a considerably less temperature than the steam up to or at the moment of admixture with the latter, as in-my method. The improvement in my method, herein set forth, consists, further, in generating the steam from graduated quantities of water in a comparatively dry vessel or-lrea-ter, (in contradistinetion to a boiler, which is usually filled to the greater part of its capacity, or contains a large body of boiling water) by which plan through the supply oi. water 1 am enabled to suflicienlly control the amount of steam formed in any given time, so that the quantities of steam and airadmixed maybe more constantly and closely proportioned, an advantage hercinbefore pointed out, the supply-water to be transformed into steam for intermixture with the air in such case being caused to be taken up in suspension by the latter either on its passage to or a l 1 or its arrival at the vaporizing-vessel, the air and water to this end being brought into extensive contact, and the latter, it comenient, being heated previously thereto, the better to enable the air thus to receive it in suspension, the vaporization ol' the water and inter-mixture of the air and steam on formation of the latter being by these means more suddcnl y, siinul' ta-neously, and perfectly effected.

Having now pointed out, substantially, in what my invention consists, 1 will proceed to show how it may be carried out, that those skilled in the arts nearest relating thereto may be able to avail themselves thereof. To this end I will refer for illustration to the drz'rwing accompanying this specification of an apparatus, the workings of which, in connection with my process, will serve to make the nature and results of the latter more thoroughly understood. Let A represent a compressing air-pump discharging into a small receiver 13, from which leads an air-pipe (J to the bottom of the water-charger fl), (stuffed with a mattress of fine tangled wires,)

- shell or cask; L, the heating-chamber for the in which the air is charged with the necessary moisture, and from the top of which leads the charge-pipe E, having a puppet checkvalve (not shown) opening from it at 1*, where it enters the vaporizing and air and steam admixing chamber Got the heater, also stu tied with a wire mattress of copper or other good conductor of heat not easily oxidated.

II is the furnace of the heater; I, the firedome; J, itsflue or chimney; K, the outer supply-water; '1, its supply-pipe, through which enters the water from a force-pump (not shown) worked by the engine. From the top of said chamber leads,.interccptcd by the pressure-valve N, a steamescapc pipeO to the vaporizing and admixing chamber. From the bottom of the water-chamber leads the jetspipe P-to convey the heated water to the rose Q in the charger. From the top of. the vaporizing and air and steam admixing chamber leads the cloud-pipe R, to convey the finally-formed cloud to the valve-chest S of the en ine-cylinder '1. Now, the pistons of-the en g1 ne, air-pum p, and water-feed pump working together, the two latter a little in advance of the former, the cock U also opening and shutting a little in advance of the commencement of the corresponding stroke of the engine, the rose throws a finely-divided jet or spray, which is further divided and disseminated by falling upon and through the mattress in the charger, and is met by the rush of air produced by the corresponding stroke of the air-pump, which on its way to the vaporizing-chamber takes up and carries with it the charge of water (graduated to that end) coming from the rose in suspen sion, where it is changed from comparative inertness into perfectly-elastic steam, when the formation of cloud ensues and a large and sudden increase of tension, which closes the cheek-valve by reaction, the charge of cloud being then admitted immediately to the engine-cylinder to actuate its piston, and so on successively.

The funnel-shaped d iaphragmY is intended to insure the thorough circulation of each charge of moisture-laden air entirelyaround and through the matress prior to its exit to the engine, being perforated to allow the air to escape only on the side opposite to its entrance.

' If the water-heating chamber is full, the discharge from the rose will be effected by displacement from the action of the fecdpump, or if not full the superincumbentstealn will force out the jet or spray on the opening of the rose -cock. In case the steam when present in this chamber should reach too great a pressure for the proper operation of the jet from the rose, or [or other reason, it will cscape by raising the loaded valve (see drawings) to the vaporizing and admixing chamber proper, whence it will go as-free steam or in intimate admixture with the air to actuate the engine.

c It therd is too much or any water collected in the bottom of the vaporizing-chamber, it may be drawn off b y the pipe \V to the hot well or vessel X, as also may any from the charger, through the pipe Y,'and from the hot well it maybe allowed, by opening the two-way cock Z, to return to the feed pump or elsewhere. The air might be first heated dry and afterward charged with moisture by giving the air and cloud pipes, respectively, the course indicated by the dot ted lines, for example, (and leaving the checkvalve out or reversing it,) when the airwould pass first to the heater and then through the charger on its way to the engine; but the small quantity of caloric which air alone is capable ofstaking up would be too greatly diminished, after yielding asupply to its interco'mbining charge of moisture, (supposing the latter to receive no heat from other sources during or after such combination and not on admixture already in the form of steam,) to be of any useful effect comparatively, lubrication excepted.

. Where simplicity in the means of applying my uewprocess is paramount, the air-receiver and the charger might be dispensed with and the rose for throwing the fine spray intro duced into the top of the vaporizing and steam and air admixing chamber. The water-heating chamber or vessel might also be omitted and cold water employed, or the warm water condensed from the exhaust-cloud be substituted; but I prefer the mode shown.

I Iavin g thus specified my present invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

1. Generating the steam'for intermixture with the air or other gaseous body in direct contact with the latter,'the samei. e .,the air or gas--not being the hot products of combustion nor to arrive at the place of admixture from direct contact with any body of fuel undergoing combustion, for they reasons explained.

2. The plan of generating the steam for such 

